Skip to main content

Sterre


Illustraties voor het boek Sprookjes van Deirdre

Volgende week zaterdag is de presentatie van het boek door vertelgroep Ameland Vertel! in Herberg de Zwaan in Hollum. Er wordt over het boek en over Dimphy verteld, uit het boek voorgelezen, met live muziek ook. En ik ben er ook om de originele illustraties te laten zien.   


Vanaf nu laat ik hier en op mijn Facebook de illustraties één voor één zien. Ik plaats dus de komende weken 8 posts met 8 illustraties die voor de Sprookjes van Deirdre zijn gemaakt.

Je staat voor het raam en kijkt diep de heldere nacht in. Het knuffel lammetje op de vensterbank kijkt met je mee. Daar buiten is licht dat van de maan komt en de roeden van het raam verkleurt. Het jurkje hangt er klaar om gedragen te worden. Jij, lammetje en jurkje, jullie samen zijn aan het wachten. Jullie missen iets. Alles staat stil. En alleen de eeuwige sterren in de lucht geven jullie steeds de knipogen.   
Een stil verdriet, waar je niets aan kan doen. Waarbij je zegt: het is goed zo. 

Dit is ongeveer wat ik wilde schilderen toen ik dit verhaal van Dimphy dat "Sterre" heet, las. Deze illustratie is ook de omslag van het boekje geworden. Wil je weten waar dit prachtige sprookje in het echt over gaat? Lees straks het boek, dat vanaf volgende zaterdag beschikbaar is. 



Je kunt het boekje nog steeds voorbestellen en tijdens de presentatie ophalen. Of na de presentatie in Herberg de Zwaan kopen. Daarna is het boek te vinden in de boekenwinkels op Ameland. 


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Artist's Home

  Ameland Views on the Walls of the Artist's Home  A couple of weeks ago, I received a very special commission from the Eiland van Verhalen . The client requested that I design a background decoration for their stage show - a kind of illustration that would combine the iconic views of all four villages on the island. The final piece needed to be in a certain proportion, as it will be printed on a screen measuring 4 by 2.3 meters. I proposed the idea of creating a "paintings painting", featuring the interior of an island house adorned with paintings on the walls, each one depicting recognisable landmarks from the villages. This idea appealed to me as it presented a nice challenge and an opportunity to create a genuine painting. The client agreed that it was an interesting concept.  I had five weeks to complete the commission. Paul and I went across the island, taking hundreds of photographs for reference. I decided to use the interior of our own home as the compositional t...

Master Studies

  Studying  I believe that practice is the best form of learning, and master copying is the most effective to practice while studying. Since we always (aspire to) learn, I find that copying a masterpiece that inspires you is an excellent method to achieve this.  In essence, master copying is not about creating perfect replicas; instead, it's about gaining a deeper understanding of artistic principles and techniques. It's a valuable tool for any artist seeking to improve their skills and expand their knowledge.  From time to time, I will update this post with my new master studies. Here are some: May 2025 After J.C. Leyendecker painting "Couple on Deck Chairs. 1904" I have been fascinated by the works and biography of this great Golden Age artist for a long time. Recently, I finally read a beautiful book titled simply, "J.C. Leyendecker", written by Laurence S. Cutler and Judy Goffman Cutler. His name and influence were most prolific; his private life was kep...

Matthew's POV

Challenging a masterpiece Since I've always wanted to learn more about chiaroscuro and tenebrism, I thought it would be useful to try and master-copy a (detail of a) tenebrist masterpiece. And what is my favourite painting by the great Master of Tenebrism? The Calling of Saint Matthew by Caravaggio, of course.  I can stare at this painting (or the photographs and videos of it) for hours, exploring and still discovering numerous aspects and details, often ending with more questions than answers. The one certainty is that the composition, colours and values, poses and gestures, and most of all, the light , that plays the leading role, are the work of mind of a true genius. I spent hours trying to find out about the nature and the position of those light sources (and there were surely more than one!), yet I still don't know exactly how Caravaggio designed that setting. For a long time, I hesitated, but one day I decided to try master-copying a detail of the painting. In any case,...